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supernatural

adj
/ˌs(j)uː.pəˈnæ.tʃə.ɹəl/UK/ˌsu.pəɹˈnæ.tʃə.ɹəl/US/ˌs(j)ʉː.pəˈnɛ.tʃɹəl/

Etymology

From Middle English supernatural, supernaturel, from Middle French supernaturel, from Latin supernātūrālis, from super (“above”) + nātūra (“nature; that which we are born with”), from nātus (“born”), perfect passive participle of nāscī (“to be born”) + adjective suffix -ālis. By surface analysis, super- + natural.

  1. derived from supernātūrālis
  2. derived from supernaturel
  3. inherited from supernatural

Definitions

  1. Above nature

    Above nature; beyond or added to nature, often so considered because it is given by a deity or some force beyond that with which humans are born.

    • Near-synonym: paranatural
    • In Roman Catholic theology, sanctifying grace is considered to be a supernatural addition to human nature.
    • Stephen King's first novel is about a girl named Carrie dealing with supernatural powers.

  2. Not of the usual

    Not of the usual; not natural; altered by forces that are not understood fully, if at all.

    • Near-synonym: paranatural
    • The house is haunted by supernatural forces.

  3. A supernatural being

  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article

      Supernatural beings and events collectively (when used with definite article: "the supernatural")

      • Dr Johnson defended Shakespeare's use of the supernatural from the charge of implausibility on the grounds that, "The reality of witchcraft … has in all ages and countries been credited by the common people, and in most by the learned."

The neighborhood

Derived

nonsupernatural, semisupernatural, supernaturalism, supernaturalist, supernaturalistic, supernaturality, supernaturalize, supernaturally, supernaturalness, supernatural selection, super-supernatural, unsupernatural

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at supernatural. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01supernatural02born03birth04offspring05further06encourage07motivate08animate09possessing10possess

A definitional loop anchored at supernatural. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at supernatural

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA